Forgiven Heart
Written By: Fujiwara Zakuro
Chapter 5: Do You Love Her?
Izumi pointed a slender finger at the woman. "YOU!!!" was all she could say.
The woman was severely shocked. She jumped back a bit while her eyes widened. "Excuse me, do I know you?" she asked. Izumi was filling with rage and was about to make a huge scene, but Amaya luckily stepped in. "No, you do not! My friend is just having mood swings... you know how it is when you have your monthlies... you become a bit out of character." Amaya explained as she stupidly grinned. The woman just looked at them weirdly and walked into a washroom cubicle.
Amaya held Izumi's mouth held tightly shut and dragged her outside. "What are you trying to do? Create a huge scene and possibly make a lawsuit?" Amaya whispered harshly. "SHE'S THE ONE!!!" Izumi yelled out. A few people that passed them gave them a look that clearly said "You're weird." Izumi was about to say "DON'T LOOK AT ME IN THAT TONE OF VOICE!!!" but Amaya quickly covered her mouth.
The two women never notice Kouji standing by the wall and when he heard Izumi yell, his head shot upwards and in the direction of the crazy blonde. He walked up to them and asked what was wrong.
"WHAT IS WRONG? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT'S WRONG! YOU AND THAT WOMAN IS WHAT'S WRONG!!!" Izumi cried. Kouji was taken aback and lowered his head. He felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry, Izumi. I wanted to tell you but was afraid that you'd get hurt." Kouji explained. Izumi felt tears come to her eyes. She calmed down a bit and most of her anger was replaced with sorrow and self pity. "But why? Why couldn't you have just told me, so that I wouldn't be affected like this?" she asked with tearing rolling down her creamy white cheeks. "I already told you, Izumi-chan..." Kouji said. "NO! Don't call me that! I'm not your Izumi-chan!" Izumi cried as the tears came harder. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you that I might still have feeling for you?" she asked. Kouji murmured her name and held her shoulder, but Izumi shook it away. "Don't touch me..." she muttered as she wiped away the tears, just to be replaced with even more. "Let's go..." Izumi told Amaya. Amaya nodded and waited for Izumi to face the other way before mouthing to Kouji "I'll call you." Kouji nodded. He almost had tears in his eyes as well, but fought them well.
Amaya and Izumi went back to Amaya's place after Izumi bought a pair of very dark tinted sunglasses, to hide the redness of her eyes. "Why must I be so stupid to believe that Kouji couldn't have found another woman?" Izumi asked quietly between choking sobs. Amaya embraced her friend. "It's just how life is. You know that he couldn't stay single for long. Look, he's getting married in a week, you can't cry over him for long." Amaya said. "I know, but it's just that I still love him." Izumi murmured after wiping away the last remaining tears. Amaya just hugged her friend tighter and let her rest. "Don't worry. This will all end up fine, in the end." She said reassuringly. "I hope your right..." Izumi said sadly.
The next day, Izumi visited Kouji. She apologized for the scene at the mall and asked if he could have lunch with her. He accepted. Izumi gave him a weak smile and drove to Amaya's penthouse, which she shared for the time being.
When Izumi was picked up by Kouji, she was in a casual, yet elegant blouse with a pair of black pants. They ate lunch together without a trace of that woman Kouji was with. "Kouji, do you love her?" Izumi asked. Kouji nodded with a hint of guilt in his deep blue eyes. "Do you feel happier when you're with her and does she make you feel like you're madly in love?" Izumi asked. Kouji thought about it for a moment. Sure, he was happy with his fiancé, but he never smiled as much when he was Izumi. He shook his head. "I haven't felt that way for anyone since college." He said. Izumi nodded, but wasn't sure if he meant it was her that made him feel that way or if he meant Carla. She never knew if Kouji hated Carla, or loved her because she ignored him and stayed as far as possible from him during that time.
For the next few days, Izumi and Kouji interacted with each other as friends. They'd have casual lunches together and talk with each other on the phone. During that time, Kouji began to have stronger feelings for Izumi as she did as well. Izumi had befriended Kouji's fiancé, too.
One day, Izumi and Kouji went for a night walk. They found a park with only a set of swings and hung out there. They talked for a while and laughed together. "You know, Kouji, I think I still love you..." Izumi whispered. "Me too..." Kouji said, barely audible. There was an awkward pause. Kouji got up from his swing and began to gently push Izumi's. Izumi turned stood up and turned around to face him. Their faces were so close and their lips almost met, but Izumi stopped them. "No, this is wrong. You're getting married in just a few days. You can't be in love with me." Izumi said as she fought a few rebellious tears. Amaya's penthouse was just a few blocks away, so she bid Kouji goodbye and began to walk away. "Will you be at the ceremony?" Kouji asked. "Yes, I will." Izumi replied and she continued to walk towards the penthouse.
AN: So, how did you like it? I really hope it was okay since it was fairly long. Anyway, I'm sorry to CrAzY-SiLLy-Me and other great authors for not reviewing! My stupid PC won't let me access the pop-up window, so I'll have to figure that out.
